


Goodnight, St. Louis

by Mangacat, tekuates



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 14:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3123242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mangacat/pseuds/Mangacat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tekuates/pseuds/tekuates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I remember his eyes were this bright, bright green, and thinking that it should have made him look alive. But he didn’t look alive. His eyes were like glass.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Goodnight, St. Louis

 

 

[ ](http://imgur.com/qhhShtN)

 

 

_The following is an excerpt from the book_ Goodnight, St Louis: The Lives and Mysteries of the Winchester Brothers, _Chapter 9, Loose Ends._

In 2012, the Winchesters were killed by police, and this time there was no possible way for them to have escaped. The FBI breathed a sigh of relief and closed the case. However, dealings with the Winchesters had made it obvious that they were not alone; there was a whole community, calling themselves ‘hunters’. It was possible that Sam and Dean were outliers, but given the severity and brutality of their crimes, the investigation into their world continued. As mentioned in previous chapters, these investigations were rarely fruitful. Some agents were killed; people who investigate the Winchesters have always chanced death, going as far back as Agent Henrikson in 2008, one of the first to come into direct contact with the brothers. Those that died were found maimed, or, on one memorable occasion, completely drained of blood. However, though these deaths were horrifying, they remain the exception. Most agents have just disappeared into the hunter community, become obsessed in a way alarmingly reminiscent of the Winchester brothers themselves. This, combined with the deaths of the Winchesters, left the investigation to slowly peter out. No one wanted to lose more agents; not for killers who were already dead anyway.  
  
So, in 2014 when the FBI caught a lead on the Winchesters, it was handled in a rather lackluster manner – of course, it probably didn’t help that the tipster claimed to have  _seen_  Dean Winchester, a man known – or, as we’ll see, presumed to be dead. For weeks, the report languished in a file cabinet somewhere. Finally, in November of 2014, two junior agents were sent in, Ruth Palmer and Julian O’Connor. They were solid agents, but nothing special; and if the FBI wasn’t taking the lead seriously, they took it even less so. Palmer even brought along a hand-held video camera, recording the drive as if it were a road trip.  
  
As it turned out, it’s a good thing she did.  
  
EXCERPT FROM FBI VIDEO FILES  
  
Palmer [off-camera]: Hey, Julie, Julie! C’mon, look over here!  
  
O’Connor: Would you quit waving that thing in my face? And stop calling me that. C’mon, Palmer, we’re working here.  
  
Palmer: Yeah, right. You really think we’re gonna find the Winchesters? Can I remind you that they’re  _dead?_  
  
O’Connor: You’re wasting film there.  
  
Palmer: Right, I better save it for when we find this mysterious underground bunker. Which is certainly real and not just some bullshit story. Anyway, I’m chronicling our road trip, Julie. Memories to last a lifetime.  
  
O’Connor: Yeah, when I’m old and grey I’m gonna want to remember us driving through rural Kansas. [pause] I hope you’re right, anyway. Then I can go home and sleep.  
  
Palmer: [laughs] I don’t think you have much of a wait until you’re old and grey.  
  
O’Connor: Yeah, yeah. Alright, it should be just over – huh, okay.  
  
Palmer: You’re kidding me. [She fumbles the camera as she turns it towards to windshield, showing a squat building.] Okay, there’s something here. I still doubt it’s the Winchesters.  
  
O’Connor: Kind of improves the odds, though.  
  
[Car stops; O’Connor turns it off and they both exit the car. The agents approach the door cautiously. O’Connor draws his weapon and stands to the side of the door.]  
  
O’Connor: [softly] It’s open. Not just unlocked, ajar.  
  
Palmer: Anyone at home?  
  
O’Connor: Not sure. But it’s definitely quiet. I think we’re okay to go in.  
  
END OF EXCERPT  
  
The bunker appeared empty, but messy, with clear signs of having been lived in. Both O’Connor and Palmer in later interviews said they immediately found it strange, disconcerting. Exploring, they found rooms that appeared to be bedrooms for Sam and Dean. Some photographs of the two were found, as well as some notes taken by Dean Winchester. The first major discovery, though, was a huge records room, going back decades. These files are still being studied, and have provided unparalleled insight into the beliefs and superstitions of hunters.  
  
Aside from the few scribbled notes found in Dean’s room, though, anything written by the Winchesters themselves was at first not apparent.  
Then, making a last sweep of the rooms, Palmer noticed something strange – something they had missed initially; a door to a hidden room.  
  
EXCERPT FROM FBI VIDEO FILES  
  
O’Connor: [off-camera] Palmer? Hey, Palmer? Ruth?  
  
Palmer: [from a distance] Hey, come check this out. Super weird.  
  
O’Connor: [mumbling] Well, that’s a change.  
  
[O’Connor walks into the next room.]  
  
Palmer: Hey. So, I think there’s a room here. See – there?  
  
O’Connor: Huh. Yeah. How do you think we get in there? [O’Connor places the camera on a table.]  
  
Palmer: Well, I’m thinking over here –  
  
[The door to the room opens.]  
  
Palmer: [hand over mouth] Is that –  
  
O’Connor: [picks up camera] I really hope not.  
  
[The agents walk into the room. A body is on the floor.]  
  
O’Connor: Oh, God.  
  
Palmer: I’m pretty sure that’s – that’s Sam Winchester.  
  
O’Connor: Jesus.  
  
END OF EXCERPT  
  
The discovery of Sam’s body changed the situation entirely. The Winchesters certainly  _had_  lived there at some point. To this day, it is the only long-term residence of the Winchesters that has survived. But it raised another question: where was Dean? The Winchesters have never been apart from each other for long; officers and agents who thought they only had one brother to deal with usually found themselves facing both.  
  
After a couple of hours, the agents found Dean Winchester – alive, in his bedroom. Palmer and O’Connor both said that they believed there was no way Dean could have come into the bunker without them noticing; either there is an entrance that remains undiscovered, or, more likely, Dean was hiding there the whole time the agents were exploring. A short video of the first encounter does exist, but as Palmer’s recollection gives more insight into it, I’ve quoted her instead of the original video. All videos and photographs of evidence can be found online.  
  
EXCERPT FROM FBI VIDEO FILES  
  
[Palmer is seated at a table, another agent across from her.]  
  
Agent: Begin wherever you want, Palmer.  
  
Palmer: [nods] Yes. I… [pause] We were there for a couple hours, just looking around. It took us a while to find anything. The Winchesters were always careful. But eventually we found a room where the majority of their records were kept, and off that, a smaller room. This one was...  
  
Agent: Yes?  
  
Palmer: Everyone’s heard of the Winchesters, you know? But even so, it’s hard to believe all of it. But this room – you could tell bad things had happened there just from the look of the place. It was small, and dark – there was this huge symbol on the floor, with a chair in the center of it, chains hanging off the chair. It  _smelled._  You had to wonder, how. How many people the Winchesters killed there.  
  
Agent: And you found Sam Winchester’s body there.  
  
Palmer: Yeah. Yes. Uh, he was just lying there on the floor. Looked like he’d been dead for a while, few months at the least, and his head was caved in on one side, clearly the blow that killed him. And it was in that room that we also found Sam’s personal files, mostly just sort of jumbled notes, a couple audio recordings. A camera with two video files on it. And all kinds of tools. Scary stuff, you know? Like, it would have been scary even if – like, syringes and knives and chains and all that. Would creep anyone out. But these tools were strange. Some of them looked quite old and many had symbols engraved on them. A few were made of pure silver. Plus salt, holy water – old Winchester standbys. When I went in with the team later, we grabbed basically everything from that place, it was all so interesting, in a terrible way. More information than we’ve ever had on the Winchesters.  
  
Agent: How did you encounter Dean?  
  
Palmer: [hesitates] It wasn’t any great detective work on our parts. He just showed up. O’Connor found him in one of the bedrooms – we think it was his. He was looking at some photos. We almost didn’t recognize him; I thought he was some homeless guy for a second, we had thought people might have started squatting there, it being empty for so long. It was weird, because he’d obviously been taking care of himself in some ways, his hair wasn’t long and he obviously shaved regularly and showered and stuff, but…I don’t know. He was very strange. He was so thin, but not in a rickety kind of way. You never felt like he was fragile – in fact, he was very intimidating somehow. No. Not intimidating. Terrifying.  
  
Agent: How about –  
  
Palmer: [talking over him] I was so scared of him. There was just something, something wrong with him. Just – Jesus. He looked sick, but not really. I remember his eyes were this bright, bright green, and thinking that it should have made him look alive. But he didn’t look alive. His eyes were like glass. Even though he was so thin, he was still gorgeous. But you didn’t want to look at him too long, because it felt like he was – rotten, on the inside. [pause] I’m sorry. It’s hard to explain.  
  
Agent: It’s alright, Palmer. What else can you tell me about the encounter?  
  
Palmer: Uh, well, we went into the room and he was there. Looking at photos of him and Sam. And he was crying, just sobbing. It was kind of grotesque. And we came in and we asked him some questions. You know – are you alright, are you Dean Winchester, how long have you been here. He didn’t answer anything, just stared at us. But after a while I just kind of blurted out – you know, asked him what happened to  
Sam.  
  
Agent: What did he say?  
  
Palmer: He started crying again. Just, tears flowing down his face endlessly. And he said in this tiny little voice, ‘He hurt me.’ That’s all he would say. And that’s when we figured that he killed Sam. And O’Connor told him we could help him, get him out of there. And – [long pause]  
  
Agent: Palmer?  
  
Palmer: It was weird, it was really weird. Until that moment he was – shattered, I guess. He was messed up, you could tell. And he was disjointed, and confused, and just sitting in an empty room sobbing by himself. But O’Connor said that and it was like a switch just – and immediately he started smiling, smirking really. And he sounded so normal, and he said, in this kind of drawl, ‘Thanks all the same, but I know a thing or two about taking care of myself.’ Something like that. He was just like he was in all the footage we’d seen of him, smooth-talking and all that – but he was still stick-thin and pale and tears all over his face. It was not a pretty picture.  
  
END OF EXCERPT  
  
Palmer was right about the information in the bunker being more than anyone had ever had on the Winchesters. The general files were fascinating, and shed light on the community as a whole. But it became clear that the most interesting of the files was the one in the secret room, which was actually made by Sam himself, and provides a horrifying look at the brothers’ last days together. Sam, at some point, became convinced that Dean was possessed by a demon – or perhaps, had become a demon. It’s not very clear which; Sam’s written notes are sparse and fragmented. Using the room that Palmer and O’Connor found – the symbol was a ‘devil’s trap’, a symbol used very frequently by the Winchesters to trap demons. So clearly Dean’s perceived problem was demonic in nature. Sam then proceeded to try to “get the demon out of him” through increasingly desperate and brutal means – despite the fact that Dean pleaded with Sam the entire time to let him go. Some have theorized that Sam was just tired of living under Dean’s thumb, and used an excuse that he could justify to himself to allow himself to kill Dean. Of course, this ended up backfiring rather badly.  
  
EXCERPTS FROM SAM WINCHESTER'S WRITING  
  
‘Dean claims not to have the thing in him, but what can I do? A creature like this, not like any demon we’ve encountered…none of the tests will work on him. I have the Ritual of Purified Blood, but I have no way of knowing if it’ll work.  
  
…  
  
I’ve been working on the Ritual for a while – no discernible change. I don’t know if it’s working. He says I’ve got it wrong and he’s not a demon. What if he’s telling the truth?  ~~What am I doing~~  
  
…  
  
I have decided to film the  ~~experiments~~ sessions. I find that it’s almost unbearable unless I distance myself from it; treating Dean like a subject may be hurtful but it’s the only way I can keep sane.’  
  
END EXCERPT  
  
EXCERPT FROM FBI VIDEO FILES  
  
[Dean is chained to a chair, with additional ropes around his wrists and ankles. Sam paces in front of him.]  
  
Sam: This is Sam Winchester, and I’m about to attempt the first stage of the demon curing ritual. I have sanctified blood. The subject is my brother, Dean Winchester, who through the influence of the Mark of Cain, was reborn as a demon upon his death.  
  
Dean: Sam? Sam!  
  
Sam: [shaky] The procedure is – questionable – in many ways already, and is made even more so by the presence of the Mark. As to what influences it – the Mark – may have – I don’t know.  
  
Dean: Untie me, dammit. Sam –  
  
Sam: [talking over Dean] I’m doing research into the Mark, of course, as well as the original ritual. But it’s hard to find data – so much of the Men of Letters’ work was lost. I’m in contact with a few hunters, old contacts of Bobby’s, that is, the hunter Robert Singer, formerly of South Dakota. Hopefully they’ll have something I can work off of.  
  
Dean: Dammit, Sam. Who are you talking to? What’s going on? [pause] Sam?  
  
Sam: [pauses, takes a breath] The Ritual hasn’t had any effect, as far as I can tell, and I don’t want to risk going further when I don’t know what it’ll do. So for now I’m just getting as much information as I can, performing whatever tests I can. And, of course, in addition to these recordings, I’m writing down my findings. I may do some video recordings as well if I think they’ll help.] Today, I’m just gonna do a few basic tests – salt, silver, things like that.  
  
Dean: Are you  _recording_ this?  
  
[pause; Sam forces Dean to swallow a spoonful of salt]  
  
Dean: [muffled]  
  
Sam: Does that hurt?  
  
Dean: What the – [coughs] Sa – [coughs]  
  
Sam: So, yes.  
  
D: [clears throat] Sam, would you tell me what the hell is going on?  
  
Sam: Dean – I’m just doing some tests.  
  
Dean: Tests. For what?  
  
Sam: Yeah, right.  
  
Dean: Sam, I mean it. C’mon, you’re freaking me out.  
  
Sam: You’re kidding, right? You really think that’s gonna fool me?  
  
Dean: Sam,  _come on!_  [Sam backhands Dean.]  
  
Sam: No.  _No_. Don’t pretend to be him. You’re a crappy imitation, no more.  
  
Dean: Sam, please. We can talk about – whatever this is. Just don’t, don’t do anything nuts, okay? Please.  
  
Sam: What’re you – you’re  _not_  him, you  _can’t_  be. Stop messing with me.  
  
Dean: [nearly screaming]  _I’m your brother!_  
  
Sam: N – [sharp breath] No. No. You’re  _not_. You’re just trying to get under my skin.  
  
Dean: S-Sam, please, just don’t –  
  
Sam: Stop. With the  _bullshit_. I’m not buying it.  
  
Dean: [pauses, blinks; his eyes appear black] If you’re gonna be like  _that_.  
  
Sam: Fuck. I fucking knew it.  
  
Dean: Whatever. You gonna get this show on the road? It’s getting boring.  
  
Sam: Like you’re in a hurry to get experimented on?  
  
Dean: Experimented? Is this what you call experimenting? Ooh, no, don’t throw salt at me. [pause] Oh, Sammy’s mad now, huh? Don’t be  
such a baby, Sam.  
  
Sam: Talk all you want. You’re not going anywhere.  
  
[silence]  
  
Dean: Neither are you.  
  
END OF EXCERPT  
  
It remains unclear whether Dean shared Sam’s belief that there was something inside him, or corrupting him. For the majority of the time, he loudly opposes Sam, pleading and begging him to stop. But the video is suggestive. At the end, Dean does seem to be playing the part of someone possessed. As in all cases with the Winchesters, the question really is whether he truly believed he was, or if it was an act.  
Sam clearly experienced a lot of emotional turmoil during this time. He was torturing his brother, but he convinced himself that he was helping his brother, saving him – common for the brothers. Most people who have encountered the brothers have observed this behavior. It seems to have served to strengthen their already intense bonds.  
  
Dean initially seemed harmless, though unstable. However, when he discovered the agents watching the video recordings – the one taped session, and another video, reported to be of Sam’s last moments, Dean pursuing him through the bunker – he became violent and furiously angry. Palmer was still recording at this time; the film is eerily similar to how she described the video Sam’s death; the agents pursued by Dean and finally cornered. However, the second video was never found.  
  
EXCERPT FROM FBI VIDEO FILES  
  
O’Connor: Are you really filming right now?  
  
Palmer: [fast, panicked] What the hell else do you want me to do?  
  
O’Connor: Fair enough.  
  
[Palmer points the camera down a hallway; a tall thin figure moves toward them.]  
  
Palmer: Oh God, no, no, no, no…  
  
O’Connor: Palmer. C’mon, Palmer. It’s gonna be fine.  
  
Palmer: He’s coming this way – [camera falls to the floor, goes fuzzy]. Shit. O’Connor? [shouting] O’Connor!  
  
[loud thud, clattering sound; O'Connor cries out]  
  
Palmer: Get away from me!  
  
Dean: [whispering] Shh. Shhh. It’s okay.  
  
END OF EXCERPT  
  
O’Connor barely survived his encounter with Dean Winchester, and Palmer sustained a serious leg injury. The two have lived together since their time on the case. They both remain obsessed to this day. Palmer wrote a book on the encounter during her recovery – a very strange and disjointed book. She spends pages and pages describing objects in the bunker; an entire  _chapter_  is devoted to the knife that Dean used to stab O’Connor, which she describes as “a horrible thing made from bone. It seemed to smile at me, wetly, as it slid from O’Connor’s body slick with his blood…” No such knife was ever discovered. She also insists that, as I mentioned earlier, that there was not one, but  _two_  video files on the camera they discovered. Only one was found, and given Palmer’s deteriorating mental state during her recovery (as well as the similarity between Dean’s pursuit of Palmer and O’Connor and the video as described), it remains uncertain that the second video ever existed.  
  
After stabbing O’Connor and injuring Palmer, Dean prepared to kill them. Luckily for the agents, he took his time before he did, long enough for backup (called earlier) to arrive. Seeing more agents, Dean fled. The last thing he did before he left was to record a five second video.  
  
EXCERPT FROM FBI FILES  
  
[picture resolves to show Dean Winchester tapping the lens, hands smudging something – possibly blood – over part of the lens]  
  
Dean: Stay. Away.  
  
[static]  
  
END OF EXCERPT  
  
Many people have theorized that Dean must be dead by now. He was gone by the time the team returned to the bunker to collect the files and tools found there, as was Sam’s body, and some personal effects, and the infamous car. Clearly his mental and physical health had deteriorated even by the time Palmer and O’Connor got there, and it does seem unlikely that he could have survived much longer. But the fact remains that Dean Winchester was never found, and that people have reported seeing him since that encounter two years ago. More disturbing, though, was that some of these people, going off outdated Wanted posters from the Winchesters’ heyday, reported seeing  _Sam_  as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2014 SPN Reversebang. Art created by [mangacat201](mangacat201.livejournal.com) on Livejournal. Art masterpost can be found [here](http://mangacat201.livejournal.com/92299.html).


End file.
